The Lover's Town (formerly Koibito)
by WinterJade
Summary: Somewhere, between that warm hand on her shoulder and the glow that came from a dying fire lit by lightning, she'd fallen in love. LaLu, LaxLu, LaxusXLucy. One-sided LaxusXEvergreen if you squint. There's humor, family, friendship, and a little drama. More romance in second chapter, I promise. T for moderate swearing. Two-shot by popular demand.
1. Lit by Lightning

Don't hit me! Yeah, I _know_ I should be working on the multi-chapter (tentatively titled Glutton For Punishment), but this struck me in the shower and took a few hours to complete, with breaks taken for food and various Fairy Tail loving. LaxLu, of course.

I don't own Fairy Tail, but up to a certain point, I can see this being an OVA.

**Alternate Summary:** She could trace it back, Lucy realized. It all came back to just one question. What would you do, for the ones you love? How far would you go?

* * *

"Flame-brain!"

"Stripper!"

"Reckless idiot!"

"Icy bastard!"

Mirajane sighed. _Ah, the sweet, dulcet tones of a Fairy Tail morning._ It never became boring, watching her fellow guildmates go about their business.

Most mages would question such a powerful S-Class choosing to be a barmaid, but she wasn't ambitious or power-hungry. Mira liked her simple pleasures. There was something relaxing about wiping a wooden mug clean while her friends interacted – or, in Natsu and Gray's case, fought.

Lucy burst into the guild as if her very life depended on it, tripping over the daily riot at the entrance. Slamming to the floor face-first, the unfortunate young woman proceeded to skid on her face down the length of the guild hall.

She finally came to a stop with a soft thump against the hard wood of the bar. Mira winced. Unfazed, Lucy bounced to her feet, looking very determined about something.

"Mira, I need a job! Now!" The S-Class woman smiled and put down the glass she was cleaning.

"Hi. Lucy, your face..." Mirajane tugged out a small hand-mirror and showed the celestial spirit mage the shiny new track marks. They started at her forehead, traveled straight over her eyes, and finished only at her chin. The blond woman waved it away, appearing not to notice or care. Instead, she dashed to the request board and back, looking hassled.

"Are you sure there aren't any other requests? I need to make my rent, quick!" Lucy waved her arms for emphasis. The barmaid felt the corners of her mouth turn down and grabbed the book she used to keep track of all the jobs at the guild. The younger woman wrung her hands impatiently while Mira ran a slender finger down the old pages. Mira sighed, and closed the book.

"No, Lucy, I'm sorry. That's all we have right now."

"B-but, Mira! There's nothing over there I can do!" Lucy's shoulders slumped as she sank into a bar stool, bemoaning her impending eviction. Mira pat her on the back, wishing there was something she could do.

"Why don't you go with Natsu or Gray? You fell over them coming in here."

"I can't go with _them_!" Lucy sniffled imperiously and pointed to her oblivious friends, still locked in furious battle. They'd moved to the middle of the guild and started throwing things at each other. "They destroy so much that any reward goes to pay for the damages! Which is fine when we have all month to collect enough money for rent and food, but it's the end of the month! I don't have enough time to put up with their fighting!" Lucy continued, tearing up. She could tell her voice was growing higher and higher in pitch with each word, but she didn't care.

At this point, she'd be lucky if eviction was all she faced. _Don't they put people in jail for not paying rent? I can't go to jail!_ Lucy put her forehead on the cool bar, hoping to get some last-minute idea that would get her out of trouble. When she looked up, her friend's eyes were sparkling at something behind her. Slowly, she turned around.

Standing in front of her were the Raijinshuu, with Laxus himself looking rather impressive not two feet away from her nose. Lucy paused, and then began to turn back around. She couldn't care less what the four mages were doing at that moment. She was busy throwing her own personal pity party.

A heavy, hot weight landed on her shoulder before the celestial spirit mage could get halfway around. Lucy looked at the offending thing and growled, fully intending to throw it off her. She was_ busy_, for Kami's sake. She didn't have time to soothe Laxus's ego.

"Come with me," Laxus said, nearly tipping Lucy off the bar stool. His words didn't seem like a request so much as an order. Was he serious? Lucy met his eyes. He certainly _looked_ serious, with his mouth set in a grim frown. She saw the lines that had appeared in his forehead, and decided he wasn't joking.

Too stressed to argue, Lucy sighed, and stood up. With her high-heeled boots on, she was barely eye-level with his collarbone. She tried valiantly not to let that intimidate her, and glanced back at Mirajane.

What she saw worried her. Her barmaid friend looked like she was seeing stars, she was so happy. Lucy could tell there was a matchmaking comment coming any minute now. She looked back at Laxus.

Or, the spot where Laxus was supposed to be. There was just air now. Lucy locked eyes with Fried, confused. He answered her unspoken question with a small smile.

"I know he's being strange, but it will get you out of your rent troubles, at the very least. It's not a long job, a couple days at most. Pack light, and meet us at the train in an hour. Look forward to spending time with you, Lucy." With that, the green-haired man and his two friends left the guild hall, no doubt following the lightning mage. Lucy rounded on Mira once they were out of earshot.

The barmaid giggled, and held her hands up in surrender, saying "It's not that bad. As you can see, Fried is rather polite, and Laxus isn't as scary as he seems, I promise. They won't let anything happen to you."

The younger mage didn't let up on her glare.

Mira sighed, and slumped over in her own mini-depression. "Okay, okay. I won't say anything. You take all the fun out of this. But Lucy-"

Lucy cut her off, "Don't you dare start, Mira. I don't need your romantic tendencies right now." The blond woman reluctantly left the guild to pack.

* * *

She was a few minutes early, but they were all waiting for her when she got to the train station and found them clustered on a bench. Evergreen was sitting on the edge of the bench, glancing at the clock every few seconds, legs crossed neatly. Lucy stifled a giggle. Even impatient, Evergreen was still trying to be the picture-perfect fairy.

Bixlow was next to her, talking softly to his "babies". Fried was after him, his hands in his lap and his posture perfect, though he looked content with his friends.

Finally, there was Laxus, leaning back with his coat draped on his shoulders. He had his SoundPod in his ears, and was gently nodding to the music and his eyes closed. She didn't know what drew her eyes to him, but she was suddenly intensely curious. What was he listening to? What job had he volunteered her for? And, most importantly,_ why?_

Lucy had to admit her curiosity was a little belated. She'd packed and left without even thinking about why she was doing so. She'd never been close to the blond dragon-slayer, for all that he was her nakama by being in Fairy Tail. He'd saved her at Tenroujima; avenged her with Flare. She shouldn't be at all wary of him, or the others.

She swallowed her apprehension and walked forward, feigning confidence. She could do this. She was _strong_. She was_ capable_. She was totally_ not _worried. Most of all, she was _not_ sweating through her shirt or looking for the nearest exit. Lucy got closer, and gulped.

The four ignored her. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in the first place, and collapsed next to Laxus. He seemed the least likely to be hostile, since he was the one who'd practically demanded her presence. The man didn't even acknowledge her. The minutes ticked by.

Finally, a train arrived. Evergreen jumped up fast and Bixlow followed at a slightly more sedate pace as Laxus opened his eyes. Lucy took that to mean that this was their ride, and shuffled on with everybody else. Fried got ahead of her in the crowd, and wordlessly pushed a ticket into her hand as he passed. Forced to keep moving by the sheer number of people, Lucy stared at the small slip of paper – her first clue to where they were going or what they were doing. It was a shade darker in one corner and the edge was gone, like someone had taken a lighter to it. Mystified, she turned it over.

The destination was printed as Koibito, which couldn't be right. Koibito was a tourist town for relationships, full of sickeningly sweet stuff to do with your loved one. It was like a year-round Valentine's and White Day combined. The image of any one of her new companions even stepping foot in such a place was insane, and Lucy laughed at the thought. _They'd probably die from overdosing on the color pink._

Somehow, in the confusion, Lucy had ended up opposite Laxus, near the window. The Raijinshuu were nowhere to be seen. She assumed they were in the next car over, and smiled sadly. This was so different from the requests she took with her friends. If she were with them right now, she'd be looking at Erza, Gray, and Wendy all squished together across from her. Natsu's head would be in her lap. Happy would be zooming around, trying and failing to impress Charla, probably on Wendy's lap. After Gray's insults and her own threats that Natsu better not throw up on her, it would be quiet. It would be comfortable and friendly and fun. There wouldn't be this splitting up, or this terrible awkward silence.

Granted, she was the only one who noticed any silence. Lucy scanned Laxus's face, feeling comfortable because he'd closed his eyes and gone to sleep, his head resting against the window. She tried to look through the eyes of a stranger, of someone who hadn't been taken hostage by this man and nearly killed.

His face was much more peaceful in sleep. There weren't as many hard lines to his face, and he seemed years younger. Able to observe without being questioned, the blond young woman conceded that he was actually really good-looking, with his straight nose, high cheekbones, and a strong, masculine jaw. He licked his lips in sleep, and Lucy's eyes were drawn to a mouth that looked surprisingly soft. _When it wasn't spitting out arrogant, infuriating remarks, anyway_, she amended.

If Lucy hadn't known for certain, she would never suspect that this sleeping man across from her could have hurt so many people, or staged a mutiny in an attempt to take over an entire guild. Or, Lucy reminded herself, destroyed the five most powerful people in a dark guild by himself to protect his family.

She could tell he was powerful, of course. Even sleep couldn't hide the amount of space he took up, or the corded muscles of his crossed arms. Every inch of his body spoke of a lifetime of training and fighting for a living. That amount of sheer muscle could've looked ridiculous on some, but with him, it just looked dangerous. She looked back down at her ticket, another sign of danger.

Koibito...why was a strong team like the Raijinshuu going to a lover's town? If they were needed, then surely the job would be too high-level for her to be of any use. Laxus didn't seem the type to just let someone come along and take part of his reward without having them help, so what was she doing there?

At least she'd have a long time to think about it. The man across from her wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, and their destination was a good four hours away. Lucy laid down on the seat, her face forward. The last thing she wanted was to fall off onto the floor, or worse, onto her teammate.

Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was, _Thank Kami I wore pants and not a skirt._

* * *

She was awake. She wasn't sure why she was awake, or where she was, but she knew beyond a doubt she was regrettably awake.

Lucy opened her eyes with a mild protest in time to see the dragon-slayer draw away from her, stand, and grab his bag. The young blond copied his actions sleepily, rubbing her eyes and staying close to Laxus's broad back as the crowd parted for him. It came back to her all of a sudden; the panic for money, the strange invitation, the even stranger ticket. _Oh, so we're in Koibito. Okay. _Lucy stared at her companion a little wistfully. It must be nice. He never had to push through a crowd or worry about getting trampled. People moved for him without any visible effort on his part. He didn't seem to be any more awake than she was at the moment. She glanced around the station, looking for his Raijinshuu.

The entire station was cute, if you could call it that. It was cute in the kind of way where Lucy felt like being alone would've gotten her arrested. Every person there was holding hands with another, and the walls were covered with adoring couples. _Public displays of affection must be normal here_, she thought, amused, when she caught sight of one particular couple who really should have gotten a room.

She'd been right about her companions. When they were all together again, there were horrified and grossed-out expressions painted on all four mages' faces. Laxus sneered and led the way out of the station. The moment they were outside, he stopped dead.

"This is ridiculous," he said flatly. The other men nodded, wide-eyed. Evergreen scoffed. Lucy held in a giggle.

Nearly every building was covered in a brilliant pink. Heart-shaped light decorations were draped everywhere, stringing together love hotels, spas, parlors, tea shops, and more. The road itself was bustling with lovesick honeymooners. There were heart-shaped mosaics in the brick, to match the giant murals on the sides of the shops. Angelic fountains and wishing wells were on every corner. To top it all off, magic-powered machines pumped out pink, white, and red confetti continuously no matter where you walked. Laxus reached up and brushed some out of his hair. It wouldn't come out. His expression intensified and he growled slightly.

"Oh here, I got it," Lucy smiled and stood on her toes to run her hand across his hair and over his shoulders, shaking off the tiny, (what else?) heart-shaped papers. Laxus stared at her, and then started forward again, taking one stride to every three of hers, obviously trying to escape the area as quickly as possible. The rest followed and Lucy glanced behind her, gauging her companion's reactions.

Fried looked worried about something, but not at all wary of his surroundings – the celestial spirit mage didn't doubt he'd brought a girl or two here before. It was hard to guess Bixlow's thoughts when half his face was covered, but he didn't seem happy. His face was tilted downward and he looked serious, like he was ready for someone to jump out and tackle him. Evergreen's face was blank, as if this was normal. _Of course_, Lucy thought. Can't have the fairy image ruined with her temper.

Yes, Lucy was enjoying this. It had been ages since any one of them had done anything to harm Fairy Tail, and they _were_ her family now. But she couldn't help getting a little vindictive amusement out of seeing such strong mages become so uncomfortable when confronted with some pink and a couple hearts. She observed them the entire way, fighting the urge to laugh when magical speakers started blasting out gooey love songs every few feet, making the older mages twitch and pick up speed.

Lucy herself had been here before, in her travels before she met up with Natsu. It was rather easy to get a well-paying job in Koibito as a waitress or cashier if you were a pretty, single female. It had been fun, for a while, but she'd left, despite her okay finances. It got depressing, if you weren't at least exclusively dating someone in a town designed especially for sweethearts.

It wasn't long before the company reached the outer parts of town, usually filled with private homes. Lucy could see her companions relax a little; there weren't so many outrageous decorations here, and the buildings – though still in pastel yellows, blues, and greens – weren't pink. No more confetti either, for which she could only be grateful. She'd forgotten how hard it was to get that stuff out of her hair. None of them actually spoke, and Lucy felt a little out of place among all the silence.

* * *

The pale houses eventually gave way to greener trees as the sun dipped below the horizon. Apparently they were spending the night in the forest, which was fine, but she was more confused than ever. So, their mission wasn't in Koibito? It couldn't be far or very complicated. Fried had said it would only take a few days.

They came to an acceptable clearing and Laxus threw down his pack, storming off. The rest of the members dissipated. Alone for the moment, Lucy placed hers down more carefully, and sat on the ground, sighing. She'd figured she'd get some answers while they weren't moving, but she knew better than to approach someone in that kind of mood. Last time, she nearly ended up without a right hand, courtesy of an angry Erza. All she could do was wait.

After some time, Laxus came back dragging a couple logs. Evergreen's return meant food. Bixlow carried firewood in his arms, dumping it in the center with a sigh. Strangely, Fried came back tired, but brought nothing. Laxus dragged the logs and arranged them around the firewood. All of them collapsed onto the logs at once. Lucy moved so she was sitting with Evergreen.

Silence. Lucy hated it, she really did. _Why aren't they talking?_ An outsider would think that they didn't even get along with each other. They were all just staring intently at the firewood pile. Lucy began to devise ways to start a conversation, shifting on her piece of bench to put her head in her hands. Maybe she cou- _Boom._

"ACK!" Lucy toppled backwards off her bench, feet in the air. The Raijinshuu began to laugh, breaking the silence.

"Ah, cosplay-queen, no need to get so scared of a little boom!" Bixlow grinned as she climbed back onto the log, huffing.

"Really, fairies should be far more graceful." From Evergreen, it sounded less like a reprimand and more like she was getting teased. Lucy started to smile, and turned at the sound of a deep chuckle.

"All I did was start the fire, chickie. If you're going to fall over at something small like that, you might not make it back to Fairy Tail by the time we're through," Laxus grinned crookedly as Lucy playfully glared at him, feeling the new warmth coming from the small blaze. _Oh, so that's why my ticket was burnt in the corner,_ she thought. Laxus had evidently paid for it. She ignored this revelation in favor of more entertaining and pressing matters.

"You did that on purpose! I was _thinking_, idiot!" She crossed her arms for emphasis. Laxus only laughed harder, shoulders shaking with the effort.

"Couldn't have been very important. You're so blond, after all..." He reached over the gap between their respective seats to tug her hair lightly.

"You're blond, too!" Lucy pointed at his head, and tugged the tuft of hair at his forehead in retaliation. She started laughing at the look on his face.

"Oh, the girl can put up a fight! Bet you didn't count on that one, eh, Laxus?" Bixlow said, elbowing his friend as his babies chanted, "Fight, fight!" over and over again. Laxus rolled his eyes, and Lucy was dumbfounded. She'd never seen the lightning dragon-slayer so...so human. He could be Gray, without the stripping and the constant Natsu insults.

"Yeah, she puts up more of a challenge with words than that fire-breathing idiot does with all his magic," Laxus smirked at her, but replied to Bixlow. Scratch that, he was just like Gray with the insults. Lucy rolled her eyes back at him, a smile on her face. Now that they were actually holding a conversation, Laxus and his Raijinshuu were more like her favorite team than they realized.

"Don't make me mention Tenroujima, Laxus," she warned. The man waved her off, not appreciating the reminder that Natsu had beaten Hades when he couldn't.

"Don't make me mention the Grand Magic Games, Lucy," Laxus's smirk grew wider and he leaned in towards her face, drawing out her name until it was mocking her. Damn it, but he was right. He'd not only destroyed Corona Flare for her, but gotten Raven Tail disqualified and helped rescue her.

"I'm strong enough that I don't have to play the damsel in distress anymore. Care to try me, Laxus?" She said, also drawing out his name to seem more confident than she felt, channeling her inner strategist. If she knew her guildmates at all, then there was a large chance Laxus wouldn't actually take her up on the offer. So she bluffed, leaning in and resting her head in one hand, elbow on one knee.

Laxus smiled, "Maybe another time, princess. I don't want to have to drag around your unconscious ass until the job's over." Secretly, he took a second to admire the young woman's courage. She'd seen him in action, and was still willing to bait him like that? Lucy, however, skated right over the taunt. _Hah, I was right! _He hadn't accepted.

"Does that mean you're going to tell me what this secret job is, that you needed me to come?" Laxus frowned at this and leaned back, looking over at his team.

"Oi, none of you told her what the job was? What the hell?" The three glanced at each other, confused, and then shrugged at him. They took the food out of the fire – wait, when had they cooked the fish? – and began eating, Evergreen crinkling her nose. Laxus shook his head and looked back at Lucy.

"The job's a nothing one, the kind you only get once a year or so, by rich snobs who don't know how to request something. They ask for something real easy, like an escort mission where no one expects trouble. Then they demand at least one S-Class mage, so they can rub it in at their next high-society party that they only hire the best." He glanced sidelong at her, remembering what he'd heard of her ancestry.

"They pay through the nose 'cause rich people have no concept of money," Laxus added, enjoying the way she puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms in retaliation for the dig at her financial status. Luckily she didn't know he was rich too, or he would never have heard the end of it. He didn't enlighten her. She'd find out soon enough that an S-Class job meant S-Class pay.

"Most of the geezers are perverts, too," He continued, ignoring her when she voiced the assumption that he, Laxus, was probably a pervert as well, "so they usually request that at least one big-boobed woman be on the team. We're fine with those, because of Evergreen." He nodded at her, and in a fit of anger, she forgot she was the perfect fairy and threw a fish at him. He caught it and put it on his plate, unfazed. Evergreen tossed another, and this he gave to Lucy.

"With this job, we have to find some bracelet that some high-heeled feather brain managed to drop out here. We're supposed to do it discreetly, since the feather brain is the geezer's mistress, and the bracelet was a gift," he smirked, and Lucy laughed at the nicknames he gave their clients with such a straight face.

"So where do I come in?" Lucy asked, slightly confused. Laxus looked away from her for the first time, staring at the fire and digging into his own fish.

"Well, I don't get what he does, but Fried used his magic to find the bracelet just now." Lucy stared over at Fried, who smiled, unable to speak because his mouth was full.

"But don't you use rune magic? How does that work?" She asked, slightly bewildered. Fried quickly swallowed his bite of fish and opened his mouth to answer her.

"Well, you see-"

Laxus spoke before he could finish, saying wearily, "No, don't explain, Fried, she doesn't need to know and we'll never hear the end of it." Fried glared at him and took another small bite of fish. Lucy giggled.

"Don't ask, it's not worth the three-hour lecture," the man warned. The spirit mage nodded solemnly, making Fried let out a muffled "Hey!"

"So, my job?" She said to get back on track. She hoped she wouldn't have to be the one to actually go go get the bracelet. Traipsing around in the forest alone? She shuddered. _No, thank you._

The dragon-slayer stared at the fire. "Well, I heard you whining, and it was giving me a headache..." He paused, checked Lucy's glare, smiled lightly, and continued, "This job had a postscript. We'd get a bonus for every big-boobed woman that was with us when we delivered the bracelet." He paused again, to take out his SoundPod and pop it on his ears before that sunk in. He really did have a headache, and she was sure to scream when her role was just to have big boobs and show up.

Laxus waited for a moment, and then looked at Lucy's face. There was no blow-up. She must have been thinking.

_Don't get angry, don't get angry, don't get angry..._Lucy sighed. Was this all she was good for? Her chest? She had half a mind just to get up and leave, deprive them of their bonus, when she slumped back down on the log. Who was she kidding? It was the easiest money in the world, and she was desperate. Speaking of...

"How many jewels am I getting for doing this?" the mage asked, looking contemplative. Laxus had to give her credit again for that one. Instead of blowing up like he'd predicted, she'd been smart enough to recognize what he'd just offered her – an exorbitant amount (by her current standards) of easy, fast money for her rent.

"Half the bonus, since you didn't even know about the job and wouldn't be able to do it if not for us," he answered honestly.

"That answer doesn't include a number." Laxus grunted, slightly impressed by her attitude. Where had that come from? This little mage was supposed to be the whiny, nice but overly dramatic member of Team Natsu, not some mouthy, arrogant, and thick-skinned woman with intelligence.

"Half the bonus would come out to around a million jewels, give or take a few thousand," he shrugged, watching her eyes light up.

"How much are you getting for the whole job!?" She asked, stupefied. Laxus finished his fish, which reminded her to take another bite of hers. He propped his chin in his hands, his ever-present cloak falling forward slightly, and looked thoughtful for a second.

"Well, it's ten million for the job, and then an extra two million because Ever's got a huge chest," The female fairy looked up at him sharply, but didn't comment, "and then we're splitting the second bonus with you, so that's another million. Divided by four, that makes three and a quarter million in my pocket," he calculated. Lucy frowned.

"But isn't Fried doing all the work?"

"Ah, well, he wouldn't be able to do the job if I didn't come along, because of the S-Class thing. That's how it works with us. All four of us go on the jobs, and share the reward, no matter who actually does the job. See, Bixlow here isn't doing anything," Laxus jabbed a finger at the man sitting to his left, who stuck out his tongue and grabbed another fish, "but the next mission might be one he's more suited for than the rest of us, and then we get to lounge around stealing all the food while he does the work." And with that Laxus stole the fish Bixlow had grabbed and took a bite.

"Oi! Get your own!" Bixlow said, taking it back. His babies copied him, saying "Your own! Your own!". Laxus pointed and shot them out of the sky with mini-bolts of lightning. Bixlow glared. Lucy couldn't see this because of the mask, but she was pretty sure anyway, since Laxus reacted like his teammate was glaring, and laughed.

* * *

As she sat there joking with them late into the night, she was surprisingly comfortable. _They seem like entirely different people,_ Lucy marveled. She could only see traces of the people who she saw every day at the guild. Laxus still mocked and taunted. Evergreen was still obsessed with her image as a fairy. Fried was still elegant and way too attached to Laxus. But it was like everyone had turned down a dial or something. Everything was less, except there seemed to be more laughter. Evergreen didn't seem quite so haughty with a fish in her face, and Bixlow was far less creepy when he wasn't constantly displaying his guild mark. Fried seemed more relaxed, taking off his red coat and rolling up his sleeves like a civilian business man would at the end of a long day.

And Laxus! She'd often wondered why the three would be so devoted to the man. Laxus talked more often in five minutes that night than she'd seen since she'd met him. He was intelligent beyond belief, and fiercely proud of his guild. He was so much more laid-back than she'd ever seen him, and far less intimidating, though he was still kind of awkward.

Lucy got the chance to ask Evergreen about it, when Laxus went for a walk, and the other two men had fallen asleep. The bright fire was down to glowing embers by now, but that was enough for the two women to see each other's faces, so it was still light enough to talk by while Ever was on watch and Lucy happened to be awake – she'd woken up when Laxus left rather noisily.

"Evergreen?" The older mage didn't acknowledge that she'd heard, but continued to stare ahead at nothing.

"I was just wondering...about Fantasia," Lucy continued, though she was scared that the other woman was offended by the question. She needn't have worried.

"It's okay, Lucy. Other mages have asked already. You're wondering why we followed him?" Lucy nodded softly. Evergreen was silent for some time, gathering her thoughts. Finally, she spoke.

"Do you trust Natsu?" Lucy was startled by the abrupt change in subject, but she answered anyway, without hesitation.

"Of course."

"Is he important to you?" Lucy thought about that one for a second. _Yes, he's important to me,_ she thought happily.

"Yes."

"Would you help him, if he asked?"

"Yeah, sure."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what. He's my nakama and my partner."

Evergreen looked at her shrewdly. "Then you understand."

"I'm lost," Lucy shook her head, confused. What did her relationship with Natsu have to do with any of this? Evergreen sighed and stared again at the dying fire. To the young stellar spirit mage, she suddenly looked years older.

"If Natsu took it into his head that the Master truly wasn't doing what was best for the guild, would you argue with him?" Lucy thought for a long time, knowing it was a serious question.

"I'd try to persuade him otherwise," she said slowly.

"And if he didn't agree? If he became sad and worried for the guild, and finally decided that the only way to save the guild was to become Master, would you help him when he asked?"

Lucy froze, realizing where the older female mage was coming from. She knew, in that moment, what her answer would be, because Natsu is important to her, and she'd trust him with her life and the life of the guild.

"Yes." The word seemed so tiny that the woman swallowed and said it again. "Yes, I would help him."

"You would. Because he is your nakama, right? Even if you didn't agree with him, you'd help him anyway, because that's what it means to be family. That's the mindset that Fried, Bixlow, and I had. The Battle of Fairy Tail was for the greater good of the guild, to rule out the weak mages not fit to be called Fairy Tail. Laxus believed it was the only way, and we followed because we were the top mages in Fairy Tail, and we are his family, the only family he could trust at the time. If we hadn't been there, he probably would have tried it on his own. He might have gotten seriously injured.

"We were his family, his only family. We couldn't turn our backs on him, it wasn't possible. Could you ever turn your back on Natsu if he needed you? If he were desperate and in need of help and so convinced he was right?"

Lucy shook her head, slowly. Then she embraced Evergreen from behind, arms tightening around her waist.

"I'm sorry, Ever. I'm sorry I've been so scared of all of you, when you were protecting your important people." Evergreen smiled ruefully, unseen by Lucy.

"I'm sorry I gave you nightmares." Lucy stiffened, and then hugged her with more strength. _How did she know? _Lucy had been very careful not to let a even a shadow of her nightmares cross her face or influence her actions this entire time. Nightmares in which she screamed and no one heard her, trapped forever in stone. Where she was burnt to a crisp with a flick of Laxus's hand on a whim, or in constant agony from Fried's runes – she'd heard about the pain from Cana, during a quiet moment of the S-Class exams before the disaster that was Tenroujima.

She hadn't had any that night, when she was sleeping earlier. Her slumber had been filled with good, happy dreams filled with friends from Fairy Tail, including Laxus and the Raijinshuu.

They were silent for a while, Lucy's arms still wrapped around Evergreen's waist, both of them staring into the embers.

"Take care of him, okay?" Evergreen said suddenly, her soft words bouncing around the quiet clearing. Lucy let go of her and sat down on the log, her eyebrows furrowed in a lack of understanding.

"What do you mean?" Ever sighed, pulling her hair so it fell down around her shoulders, and ran her hands through it.

"He's anti-social and a bit of a loner, but he's not as self-assured and arrogant as he seems. Don't hurt him," the fairy warned.

"I...you mean Laxus? Why would you think-" Evergreen silenced her questions with a hard stare.

"You're not stupid, and I'm not stupid. Laxus has grown fond of you, and seeing the change in you today, can you honestly say you don't like him that way? As more than family?"

Lucy stopped, and thought, and then tried not to freak out. Somehow, between that warm hand on her shoulder and the glow that came from a dying fire lit by lightning, she'd gone way past thinking of Laxus as a distant, scary relative.

Lucy immediately dragged up all the images she could of the lightning dragon-slayer. All she could think of was him saving her, him avenging her, him teasing her by the campfire, his smile, his laugh.

She'd fallen in love with him in a single night. Was that even possible?

Ever attempted not to laugh at the look on the younger mage's face, or tease her for her obliviousness. She tried especially hard not to rub her own perceptiveness in Lucy's face.

Lucy suddenly dove into her sleeping bag and pulled it up over her head in a flash.

A second after that, Laxus stepped back into the clearing. He turned to Evergreen, a question clear on his handsome face.

"She's sleeping." Laxus grunted. That didn't really answer his question. What he'd _wanted_ to know was why she'd scrambled for her sleeping bag and pretended to be asleep when he came within earshot of the clearing. He glared at Ever. She sighed, ignoring him, and rolled out her own sleeping bag. Laxus grumpily sat down with his back to her, prepared to take watch. Evergreen stared at his broad shoulders, slumped over as he sat on the log, until she fell asleep.

_Find your happiness, Laxus,_ she thought sleepily. _I helped, because I'm your friend, but now it's all up to you. This girl could make you happy. I hope you see that someday._

* * *

Alright, so it's not what I'd do, personally, but Evergreen wrote herself. I didn't get any sort of choice. If I did, and Laxus couldn't be with Lucy, I'd have him with Cana, because I don't actually like Evergreen as a character. She's shallow and vain.

And phew. 11 and a half pages for a one-shot. I hope you know you will never, ever get anything this long for 50 Moments, and the multi-chapter will _not_ have chapters this long. This is _ridiculous, _brain. I mean, half of it's one-sided!

Read and review, even if this is a little bit different. I don't know what to call this. Humor? Drama? Angst? Family? Friendship?

~Jade.


	2. The Homecoming

Title: A Koibito Reality

Wordcount: 7,807

Summary: Lucy proceeds to finish the ridiculously easy job as a tag-along, made difficult by Evergreen in a good mood. Once home, though, she's got bigger problems. What is she supposed to do now that she's realized her own feelings for the lightning dragon-slayer who saved her rent-less butt?

Here it is, solid, substantial proof that I actually read my reviews. The sequel to a one-shot that was supposed to be a standalone, filled so much with obvious LaxLu-ness that I'm surprised it's not gushing out of your computer screen into your lap. Have at thee!

Disclaimer: Really, at this point, Lucy would've gotten kissed by now if I owned Fairy Tail. If not by Natsu, then at least by _somebody_, even as a joke.

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes the next morning feeling remarkably relaxed for someone who had speed-walked straight through a tourist-trap of a town and a forest until dark, and then stayed awake, joking with her...friends. She stumbled over the word in her mind, but it was true. These bundles scattered around the clearing had become her friends. A small smile graced her face.

She'd somehow ended on top of her sleeping bag, but it was wonderful outside and dappled sun was shining down on her skin, making her feel pleasantly warm and lazy. The young blond stretched her limbs like a cat-

"Well, apparently _someone's_ a morning person," Laxus grumbled from the other side of the campfire, his voice still rough with sleep. She started losing her good mood, but snatched it back quickly. _It doesn't matter, _Lucy thought forcefully. _The sun is shining, it's not too hot or too cold, and everything is fine. Right?_

Wrong. _The world must have a sense of humor, _she thought wryly as Laxus stood up, the second awake of the group, and dragged a large hand through his messy hair, highlighting carved arm muscles. He'd shed his shirt sometime during the night.

Lucy hid her face with her hair, staring determinedly at her pillow. His lack of clothing brought the tail-end of her conversation with Evergreen to the front of her mind, when she'd been trying to shove it out.

"_You're not stupid, and I'm not stupid. Laxus has grown fond of you, and seeing the change in you today, can you honestly say you don't like him that way? As more than family?"_

Lucy stole a peek at Laxus, and found him looking at her, one eyebrow higher than the other. Lucy made a strangled noise in her throat and looked down again. A furious blush graced her cheeks, and she started cursing her own traitorous feelings under her breath.

She wasn't embarrassed; she was resisting. Lucy had to fight to keep her head down and not stare at the chiseled muscles of his abs or the inky black of his guild mark and tattoo. She had the sudden urge to get up and go over to him. _What is _wrong _with me?_

It made an appealing picture, him standing there in front of her, shirtless and barefoot, with tousled hair and the sunlight piercing through the trees, making soft patterns of light and dark on his skin. Were those _sparkles_ in his eyes, and roses in the background, or was that just her?

_Not good, not good! _Yesterday she was scared stiff of the lightning dragon-slayer, and one train ride, one meal, and a long walk had her shamelessly ogling him? _Do I want to give myself a heart attack?_, Lucy panicked.

A hand started patting her head, and she froze, thinking Laxus had come over. Which was sweet of him, but she really needed him to stay on _that_ side of the campfire remains. She'd stay on the other side, _thank you very much_, because she didn't have the fortitude to deal with this rush of thoughts right then.

However, she discovered she didn't need to freak out, because Laxus's hands were in no way that delicate. Evergreen was patting her head. Lucy stole another glance at her current misery. He was facing away from them, talking to Fried and Bixlow, who'd just awakened.

'I'm going to murder you!' she mouthed frantically, glaring at the woman who had put this idea in her head she couldn't get rid of.

The other female of the group smiled, resembling her haughtier self, took one look at Laxus, another at Lucy, and covered her mouth with both hands. If she expressed amusement right now, the dragon-slayer would've gotten suspicious and Lucy might really have been inclined to try and kill her.

Calming down, she mouthed back, 'He looks nice today, doesn't he?' Lucy repeated the words silently, making sure that she hadn't gotten it wrong. She breathed deeply. A good, solid, Lucy Kick would alert the others that something was going on. So she slapped Evergreen upside the head instead, getting a glare and making the men laugh. They were being watched.

Lucy mustered all her strength to look Laxus in the face and said, "Breakfast?" Her voice was steady, but quiet. She wanted to cheer for not stuttering like a small girl talking to her first crush.

"Fish from last night," he told her, nodding at the campfire. Lucy stole her prize and started eating, careful to do it politely and attractively. She paused with a bite (a small one, of course) in her mouth, hideously aware that if she didn't have feelings for Laxus, she wouldn't be so focused on eating in such a lady-like way. She certainly hadn't worried about it last night as she joked with the team, taking giant mouthfuls and turning food into projectile weapons. Lucy vaguely remembered getting Evergreen square in the face, and giggled at the mental image before remembering that she was distressed.

The real fairy mage looked at her strangely, and grabbed her own meal. No one seemed to want to talk much, but none of them really seemed like morning people, either, so she couldn't blame them. She took another bite of fish, trying not to be especially lady-like about it.

"So, where is this bracelet thingy?" Lucy asked, wondering how far they were going to have to walk. She'd directed the question at Fried, but it was Laxus who answered.

"Not far. We'll be returning it by around noon, and then we'll go home. You're paying your own ticket, this time. Not like you won't be able to afford it," he pointed out smugly.

"Oh, thanks for paying for me, before." The older man looked at her strangely.

"I didn't pay for it, Fried did."_ Very good,_ Lucy complimented in her head. If she wasn't absolutely sure, there would have been be no way to tell that he was lying. His demeanor didn't change, but because she knew to look for it, he'd cocked his head slightly to his left. _That must be his tell,_ Lucy smiled. _Good to know._

"Liar." Laxus choked a bit and stared at her. Bixlow grinned.

"That's pretty good, Lucy! Most people can't catch him. Ever and I still can't. What gave it away?" he asked eagerly, leaning forward in her direction. Last night she'd managed to use his face as a fish net, when she got tired of the constant cosplay references. He'd started calling her by name after the first few. She smiled mysteriously, glancing at Laxus again – _Why did she keep looking at him? _He was still staring at her like he'd never seen her before in his life. His eyes on her made her a little nervous.

"I'm not going to tell you that if Fried hasn't already." Bixlow sighed in disappointment.

"That's exactly what Fried says when asked, except he names Makarov," Evergreen commented, smiling behind the remnants of her fish. Fried smiled.

"I will say," Lucy said, smiling at the way Bixlow perked up like a puppy that heard the word 'treat', "that you shouldn't set the ticket on fire if you want to hide yourself, Laxus." The others looked between her and their team leader, trying to hide their expressions.

Laxus glared at an innocent tree and frowned, a slight pink tinge on his cheeks. "I didn't set it on fire, it just smoldered a little. Is it my fault the guy was an idiot?" At this, they all gave up and laughed, Bixlow actually falling off his log, until the mage mumbled, "Shut up, don't we have to go look for the trinket?" in an effort to change the subject. It worked. The others eventually quieted down and scattered the remains of the campfire. They all got dressed – Lucy sighed with relief – and Fried led the way to the missing bracelet.

* * *

The job was exactly as easy as Laxus had explained it would be the night before. Fried had already triangulated the location of the bracelet. Lucy, in a rare moment of wisdom, didn't ask a single question and decided to talk to Evergreen at the back of the pack, the only other female in the group. Lucy was desperately in need of a girl talk. They spoke in hushed whispers so the man with the super-hearing, towards the front, wouldn't eavesdrop.

"This is your fault, you know," Lucy hissed at the elder mage. "I can't look at him now without-"

"Wanting to jump him?" Ever cut in, smiling innocently. She was in a good mood this morning. Lucy blushed a brilliant shade of red.

"I don't want- that's not what- Argh!" Lucy babbled incoherently, trying to explain herself without sounding...well, sounding like she wanted to jump him. _Which_, she was realizing to her growing horror, _I kind of want to do. _Her eyes drifted in front of her, and landed on Laxus's back, still covered by his trademark cloak. Next to her, Evergreen nodded sagely and smirked. Lucy saw it out of the corner of her eye and swung her head around to shoot eye-daggers. The other female raised her hands in mock surrender.

"I know you said as much last night, but I'm sure he doesn't like me that way," Lucy played with the ends of her hair, saddened now that she'd said it out loud, the reason she didn't want to believe she liked him, let alone fallen in love so quickly. _Besides, love at first sight doesn't exist, right?_

She didn't realize she'd said the last part of her thoughts aloud again until Evergreen answered her thoughtfully.

"Well, it wasn't first sight, was it? He told us he saw a big-boobed newbie in the guild right before you and your little team went off on that S-Class quest. Mentioned it while we were discussing who to keep in the guild after the takeover, I think..." She had a knowing air about her that Lucy really didn't like.

"My team is not little, it's the strongest in the guild," Lucy defended.

"Lucy, you're with the strongest team in the guild right _now_," Evergreen said arrogantly. Privately, Lucy wondered if she was right, that these four weren't at least on par with her own team. There were a lot of similarities. One S-Class, and three more that ended up on Tenroujima anyway, either as a candidate or the partner of one. What more did she and the others have in common with the Raijinshuu and their leader?

Outwardly, she rolled her eyes at the other mage's cockiness, and it was silent for a few minutes while she considered the woman's earlier question.

"No. No, it wasn't love at first sight. I thought he was an arrogant prick, to be honest." Evergreen noted with some fascination that calling Laxus an arrogant prick made Lucy's face soften and a small smile come to her face.

"Oh, you've got it bad," Evergreen cackled, snapping Lucy back to the present.

"What?"

"Your face. If you look like that when remembering the absolute ass he was, you don't have a chance in _hell_ now." Lucy blushed and bopped Ever's head with her fists for her comment, embarrassed.

"Geez, Ever, you're so mean!" Lucy whined. The fairy mage just laughed harder, and a male voice cut across their bickering.

"What are you _doing_ back there?" Both mages looked up to see the men had stopped to stare at them. Laxus was looking particularly annoyed, a frown etched deep in his face.

Evergreen glanced at Lucy. The poor girl looked like she was about to faint, her face was so red. Steam was practically coming out of her ears. Evergreen was about to faint, too, but from lack of air. She clutched her ribs and gasped until the men shook their heads and kept walking, deciding not to get involved.

Lucy had never been on such a stressful, well-paying job. And yet, it had been so easy, technically. Even if a job like this came once a year, she'd never have to worry about her rent again. Of course, that depended on her becoming S-Class (_yeah, right,_ she snorted), or teaming up with an S-Class mage more often. Her eyes automatically landed on Laxus, and she threw a small tantrum, stomping her feet. _Erza is S-Class too!_ She thought in defiance of her own eyes. _I'll go with her!_ Then she drooped and dragged her feet, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from the mages around her. Somehow, S-Class missions with Erza just didn't hold the same appeal.

* * *

Their client was actually on the outskirts of Koibito with his mistress, so Lucy, Laxus and Ever went to go put on a good show while Fried and Bixlow wandered into a bar, unneeded. Lucy envied them. _They _didn't have to go let a pervert mentally undress them for cash. It was going to be miserable, especially in the cold that had descended on the town with the sunset, so different from the warm sun that had greeted her that morning.

Lucy ventured into the heart-themed lion's den alone, finding it amusing that the rest had flat-out refused to be bombarded by love songs and confetti rain any more than absolutely necessary. She found a beautiful red dress that clung to her curves and was lower-cut than she would have liked, but it was modest by Koibito standards. A lover's town wasn't known for propriety.

When she returned, shaking confetti out of her hair, she saw that Ever had tugged her hair down and flipped it, putting on the haughtiest, snobbiest look she was capable of. The effect was rather terrifying, but it was nothing compared to Laxus, whose cloak and murderous look were such an intimidating combination that if Lucy hadn't been head over heels, she would have run screaming.

Since she _was_ head over heels, and still smart enough to know the hatred on his face was probably directed at the confetti and not anyone specific, she found it strangely endearing. She also kept him in her vision on the way to the client's house, hoping she hadn't sustained some severe head trauma last night that she wasn't aware of. _I feel like Juvia,_ the spirit mage sighed. Evergreen smirked at her, and she shoved the fairy's shoulder in retaliation, too stressed for teasing.

"Enough games," Laxus growled at the pair, clearly in a bad mood as well. "Time to go get our pay." He stopped at the door to an exceptionally gaudy house, filled with fake jewels and painted a disgusting shade of puce. The man paused, and looked at Lucy, frowning. _What's wrong with him?_ Lucy wondered. _He looks odd._

"Ready, Lucy?" he asked softly; there was no trace of his earlier irritation. She blushed red at the sound of her name rolling off his lips, but locked her eyes with his and managed to nod before she got sidetracked by the bright blue. He looked away and knocked as she she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. _This is insane. You're a grown woman, Lucy; you need to get a hold of yourself! s_he thought darkly.

Lucy honestly couldn't remember much about the client. Grubby fingers, disgustingly frilly clothes made for females over sixty. He kept them on the doorstep the entire time, probably asserting his authority or some other rich person nonsense that Lucy had escaped by running away from home. The two womanly mages played their part perfectly, laying it on thick and hiding their repulsion for the sake of the cash.

Evergreen gave the rich pervert a mighty sneer; he was unworthy to be dirt under her shoe. Lucy pouted and crossed her arms under her chest, showing as much cleavage as possible and playing the simpering, doting blond. She was at war with herself, her absent-minded smile threatening to curl into a disgusted sneer, and producing a semi-grimace. in Raised in a high-class family, the stellar spirit mage had rather good personal taste. The house offended her a little, and the man made her want to screech.

_Ew, is that food in his mustache? _She cringed as it twitched over the pervert's naughty little grin. _Oh, god, get me out of here. _Lucy inched slightly closer to the man beside her, trying not to be obvious about it. A tiny smirk lifted the dragon-slayer's lips, but she couldn't glare at him without risking her bonus. Instead, she rested her left hand in the crook of Laxus's right elbow, the better to play the clingy airhead she was pretending to be. His arm broke out in goosebumps, and she couldn't blame him – her hands were probably blocks of ice by now. His face didn't even twitch, though.

Finally, after an eternity, the client dropped a pile of money in Laxus's hands and closed the door in his face. She regretted not paying a little more attention to the transaction and less on the warmth of the man beside her, but at least one side of her body wasn't numb. Lucy reluctantly dropped her hand to leave it at her side, resenting the cold that swept away all memory of heat. She moped for about two seconds before she remembered she just got paid.

Laxus laughed at the excited look on her face, counted out a few bills, and handed them to her. She grinned up at him, her breath fogging. It was definitely snowing by then; big, soft flakes shining in the light of the magic lamps, drifting gently to the cobblestones below, sticking to clothes and hair.

"Thank you!" She jumped around happily, sticking out her tongue to taste the flakes, until Ever started reprimanding her, saying a fairy shouldn't be so obsessed with money. In response, Lucy kicked her, and the two started fighting playfully until Fried told them to knock it off (he'd been hiding behind the house with Bixlow). Lucy obeyed immediately, surprised and happy that she was comfortable enough with Evergreen to fight with her, just like Natsu and Gray every day back at the guild. Laxus split up the jewels among the others, stuffing the final wad of bills in his pocket along with his hands, and started walking, his stance and the features of his face screaming a barely-controlled annoyance.

_Oh, that's right,_ Lucy remembered. _We have to go through Koibito to get home. _She led the way this time, walking quickly up a side street perpendicular to Laxus's direction. The Raijinshuu shared glances at each other, and then looked in the direction of her back.

"That's not the way to the train station, cosplay-queen!" Bixlow yelled after her, uncertain.

"I told you not to ca-call me that! Do you n-need another f-fish to the face to remind you?" Lucy shouted back over her shoulder. The effect was ruined when her teeth chattered from the cold. She stopped in the middle of the narrow alleyway, and looked back at them, rubbing her arms for warmth and saying "Do you g-guys really _want_ t-to go through all the c-confetti hearts ag-gain?" They shared another glance, and then jogged to catch up, Laxus in the lead.

As he drew level with her, he sloughed off his coat and dumped it on her head. The look in his eyes warned her not to comment or argue, at least not this time, so she accepted it gratefully, pulling it closer around her shoulders. It was delightfully warm from his body heat, and it didn't reek of sweat like she'd expected. Being discreet as possible, she brought the fur to her nose, inhaled, and nearly stumbled. Laxus's coat smelled of forest and a summer rain and something spicy she couldn't place. The first was normal; they'd spent the night in the forest. But the other scents...she couldn't stop herself from wondering, _is this how Laxus smells all the time? _She looked at him, and saw that he watched her warily.

"Do you know where you're going, princess?" Lucy looked ahead of her, getting her bearings, and nodded. So she was back to princess again. _Maybe it's for the best,_ Lucy laughed at herself. _If he says my name all the time, I'll never be able to concentrate... _

"Oh, ye of little faith," Lucy teased, considerably warmer. "I've been here before."

Laxus stared at her, and then drew back, his face going blank. She looked at him curiously. That wasn't the reaction she'd expected; that face didn't even make sense. What had she said? Hesitantly, she explained herself, not believing what her mind was telling her. _No way..._

"I used to work here, before Natsu found me." She checked his face, but his mask stayed in place. So she kept going, feeling defensive. "What?! It was good pay for a single, good-looking poor girl!" His face cracked and splintered, relaxing into a smile, and Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. _Was he really jealous? Not a chance, _the spirit mage reassured herself.

"Have a high opinion of yourself, don't you?" Laxus taunted, the start of a smirk lifting his mouth.

"Leave the poor girl alone, or I'll have to pity her." A voice startled both of them, though Laxus only showed it with a slight widening of his eyes. Lucy was not so subtle. She jumped, swung around and kicked at the speaker's head. Ever dodged and kept walking. Lucy growled and picked up speed. Laxus matched her, and the Raijinshuu trailed behind them, unseen and unnoticed. Eventually the group came to an alleyway directly across from the train station.

"Ready?" Lucy asked, not looking behind her. Everyone else groaned or made faces at her back.

"One," Fried started, wanting to get it over with.

"Two," Bixlow cringed. Impulsively, Lucy grabbed Laxus's hand. He stared at her, wide-eyed, but allowed it, his face coloring red.

"Three!" That was Evergreen. They all took off like a shot for the train station, the two blonds hand-in-hand, ducking and weaving in between all the couples, fast as possible. The makeshift team bolted through the train's doors just as they closed with a snap – Lucy had timed it perfectly.

All five mages collapsed in a heap just inside the door. The train rumbled and took off as they began disentangling themselves, gasping for air. Lucy managed to get out from under Fried and pulled Laxus out, breathless. He came hurtling towards her and Lucy cried out, trying not to get squished, and stumbled backwards until her back hit the wall, cushioned by the cloak still on her shoulders. He caught himself with his palms flat on the wall on either side of her.

Caged in by the dragon-slayer's massive arms, and actually his entire body, she realized belatedly that she'd used too much force in pulling him out of the heap on the floor. He stared at her now, his face inches from hers. She stared back, very aware of his legs on either side of hers, his hands planted on the wall, so close to her face she could feel the warmth. Then, so slow she could barely sense it, his body began to lean more into hers, his face came closer, and-

Fried, Bixlow and Evergreen rolled into their legs, still tangled. Laxus's knees bent and he fell over them backwards, landing hard on his back before he could dodge. Evergreen tugged Lucy's calf in a desperate attempt to free herself, and instead ended up dragging her fellow female mage back into the fray. Laxus seemed to be the calmest out of all of them.

"I'll have your head for that, Minty! I was _free!_"

"Who are you calling _Minty_, you graceless summoner?!"

"Laxus, get off me!"

"Damnit, I'm not the one who rolled into you, Fried!"

"Well, get off my leg anyway!"

"Graceless? I'll show you _graceless_, you clunker of a fairy!"

"I'm not on your leg!"

"That would be _me_."

"Bixlow, get off me, then! You're heavy!"

"How _dare_ you?! I'm the best, strongest fairy there is!"

"I can't move 'till Ever moves!"

"Doesn't seem that way, since I can beat you like I was beating you earlier!"

"Bring it on! You're weak without your precious keys!"

"Bixlow, lose some weight, would you?!"

"Now, that's just mean! Cosplay-queen started it!"

"Started it! Started it!" _When did Bixlow's dolls get into this?_ Lucy thought, momentarily distracted. _Wait, did Ever just...she_ _did__!_

"Oh, _now_ you've done it, you insufferable snob of a fairy! Don't you call me weak!"

"_Lucy_, stop fighting and get _off_ me first?"

"Ah, sorry Laxus."

_Now, this is more like it,_ Lucy grinned through the blush that appeared when she realized she was basically straddling Laxus to get into a better position to throttle Evergreen. He used her name again! _How I missed you, sweet, sweet chaos!_

* * *

After the unlikely team had spent half the journey on the floor between train cars, arguing to their heart's content, the mages settled into a comfortable silence, draped haphazardly over their seats. Lucy and Laxus had claimed the window seats before anyone else could, leaving the rest to sit where they found room. The others didn't utter a single complaint, though Ever looked like she wanted to, sandwiched between Lucy and Bixlow.

Lucy relaxed, her forehead resting on the cold window, after watching first Laxus, then Fried, and finally Bixlow fall asleep to the tempo of Evergreen's impatient foot-tapping. She'd never felt so content. It could have been the absence of her constant rent worries. It could have been the quiet that she'd thought was so unnerving just yesterday. Heck, it could even have been the view of a gently sleeping Laxus across from her, his face and side slumped against the wall, his warm breath steaming the glass of the window.

Drinking in that sight with her eyes, the blond stellar spirit mage was comforted by the rocking of the train, the soft _taptap_ of Ever's foot, and the quiet heavy breathing of her sleeping friends. The confusion that had tangled her brain concerning the man across from her all day was only a vague worry of unrequited feelings, a shadow in the back of her mind. She curled up in her seat, dozing off. On the edge of sleep, Lucy thought she saw Laxus's eyes open, and his lips twitch into a tender smile at her, but she was out before she could be sure.

* * *

"I'm home!" Lucy cried joyfully, bursting through while surrounded by her temporary teammates. They chuckled at her, enjoying the young woman's enthusiasm. She'd dragged them all the way there, pulling at wrists and telling them to pick up the pace as she bounced her way to the guild. Lucy shoved the nearest shoulder – Laxus's, of course – and walked to the middle of the hall, beaming, before she realized something was wrong.

"No 'Welcome back'? No 'hello, Lucy?'" She asked, embarrassed at the amount of shocked faces turned in her direction. "What are you staring at?" She checked for stains on her clothes as her hands went to smooth her hair nervously.

"Oh, Lucy! Welcome home." Natsu's bar stool squeaked loudly in the quiet, bringing him around to face her. He braced himself on his elbows against the bar behind him, his grin visible even across the room. Lucy bounded over to hug him lightly, grateful for a distraction from the weird tension.

"Hey, Natsu. Where are Gray and Happy and Erza?" He waved a careless hand at her.

"Erza said something about needing them for a job. I tried to ask why she'd need Happy, but her armor is really hard..." Lucy giggled at him as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Then he stiffened, and the grin turned slightly menacing as he stared over her shoulder. "Oi, Laxus, fight me!"

Lucy turned to see Laxus behind her, and was hit with an odd sense of deja vu as she did, but this time the man rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. She could see the other Raijinshuu had taken seats at the bar on either side and ordered drinks from Mira already.

"No." Lucy rolled her eyes back at him at the arrogant mask and answer, behavior she hadn't even acknowledged before the job. But then, she hadn't known it was a mask.

Either way, he smirked at her in response, and they locked eyes, both ignoring the rather loud fit Natsu was throwing next to them.

"How was the job, Lucy?" Mirajane said, cutting across Natsu with a simple question but without raising her voice. Natsu fell into a slump, depressed that he was getting ignored. _She has got to teach me how to do that, _Lucy admired.

"Ah, it was great, Mira, no problems at all. I'm not doomed anymore!" Mira smiled back at her and Laxus.

"That's good! Laxus, why don't you take the seat on the other side of Lucy? You guys can tell me all about it," the barmaid suggested, sliding over two mugs of hot chocolate. The man shrugged and obliged, perching on a stool and picking up his cup to take a sip. The younger blond giggled at him: he just looked so...domestic, holding a mug and leaning his elbows on the bar after a long day. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Where do I start?" Lucy wondered aloud. _How could I explain all that?_ The nerve-wracking train ride and mystery ticket were only the beginning; should she even try to convince Mira that the powerful, proud Laxus Dreyar and his mighty Raijinshuu had gone to Koibito willingly, and were all beaten by heart-shaped confetti? She felt like that night by the fire was something she should keep to herself, like talking about it would cheapen it, somehow.

"Well," Mira started, her voice full of mischief that made both mages look up at her, "you could start by explaining why you're wearing Laxus's coat over a beautiful red dress I don't remember you owning," she finished with a grin and a gesture at Lucy's attire. All three of them looked down – Mira was right. Lucy and Laxus caught each other's eyes, panic shining in both chocolate brown and bright blue. The beatiful Strauss sibling laughed lightly as they tried to explain themselves.

"The client, he was a _pervert_, and-"

"She was shivering so hard it was getting annoying!" Lucy gasped at the man in indignation.

"You didn't have to give me your cloak!"

"I _should_ have given it to you earlier," Laxus growled, his face intense, all his usual arrogance absent for the moment. Lucy blinked at him, confused.

"If I'd had the cloak on earlier, then what was the point of the dress? The client wouldn't have been able to ogle me with his disgusting mustache and he wouldn't have forked over the bonus!"

"Mustache?" Mirajane interjected quietly, trying not to break what she suspected was happening there. Both of them waved her away carelessly and she uncharacteristically smirked. Apparently Lucy had picked up some of Laxus's habits while in his company.

"That's the point!" the man retorted, grinding his teeth.

"You couldn't do anything about that, I wouldn't have gotten paid! That was the whole point of taking me on the job, wasn't it?!" Lucy snapped at him, angry. What was _wrong_ with him?

Natsu chose that moment to get up and leave, trying to avoid notice. He didn't know why Lucy was angry, or why she was messing with Laxus, or why the lightning dragon-slayer was even fighting _her_ when he'd refused to fight the salmon-haired man not two minutes ago. What Natsu _did_ know was Lucy's current tone of voice; that was the cue to hide. A furious Lucy was a scary Lucy, after all.

Being semi-drunk on special fire drinks, Natsu tripped and fell towards Lucy when he tried to sneak away. One second later, Natsu was on the floor, confused. Lucy's glare never lightened, unaware that Laxus had just tugged her barstool closer to his; she was safely out of the way when he answered her.

"The _point_ of taking you on the job was so that I didn't have to listen to your whining!" Laxus said, jaw clenched. Lucy stared, shocked and hurt. After a few seconds, the hurt drained away, and she stared at him again, her face blank. "What?" he asked, defensive.

"Liar. You actually wanted to help me, didn't you?" Lucy whispered, scanning his face.

Abruptly, he pushed back against the bar, scraping his stool on the floor, the sound echoing in the quiet of the guild; most of their fellow nakama had stopped talking to eavesdrop. He stomped down the center aisle, intending to leave.

"Oi, Laxus, I'm not done with you!" she called after him. Mirajane had made herself scarce, but popped up now to snicker and refill Lucy's hot chocolate. Clearly the young mage had picked up more than one of the older man's mannerisms. She'd never used 'oi' before that job, preferring the more polite 'hey'. Laxus waved his hand as he walked out. Lucy took that as a sign he wasn't really angry, and turned back to her barmaid friend. Who was giggling. And blushing. And...

"Damnit, Mira..." Lucy slumped over the bar table, delicious hot chocolate forgotten.

"Does this mean I'm allowed to say it now?" The demon mage asked hopefully. Lucy waved a hand at her in response. "Yes! Oh, Lucy, I think you and Laxus would make a great couple!" she grinned, eyes sparkling. Lucy and Laxus, Fairy Tail's newest couple! She held back the urge to squeal at the thought.

"We're not a couple!" Lucy protested, shaking her head energetically. The cloak wrapped around her started to slide, and she scrambled to catch it and yank the material back around her like a blanket before it hit the floor. Mira looked at her knowingly. _What is __with__ people and knowing looks lately?_ Lucy thought, frustrated. _Why does everyone seem to know something I don't?_

_Because they do, _a tiny voice whispered in the back of her head. _Or at least, they're willing to acknowledge it. _She rubbed her eyes with her hands. Voices in her head that didn't agree with her. _Now, __that's__ normal, _she sighed.

"Lucy, you're in a fancy dress and you're wearing his coat. He never gives up his coat, not since the day he got it. I would know," Mira said gently, patting her friend's shoulders.

"She's right, Lucy. Fried, Bixlow and I almost keeled over when we saw." Evergreen had sauntered over to sit in Laxus's seat. "And I've never seen him so energetic or relaxed in public before, unless he was fighting. Have you?" She directed this last question at Mirajane, who tapped her chin with an elegant finger and frowned as she answered.

"No. He was in a really good mood. I haven't seen him like that in a long time." At this point, the two men came to stand with their backs against the bar near the girls.

"I haven't either, by the way," Fried said, staring across the guild hall at the doors. Bixlow shook his head in agreement.

"So, you're saying...he likes me?" Lucy asked softly, also turning to stare at the doors. Her heart started doing strange things at the possibility, and her face turned pink. _Not yet,_ she thought sternly, _don't start hoping yet._

"Probably," the men said simultaneously.

"I told you so!" Ever and Mira exclaimed, and then looked at each other, surprised. "You too?" They asked each other and smiled.

Lucy felt like she was floating, and looked around at her friends. They were serious. There wasn't a single trace of mockery or joking among their faces. Laxus _liked_ her. She stood up, spun around, and took off fast as lightning in her red dress and a fur-lined cloak, intending to catch up to the dragon-slayer.

And slammed into solid wall of muscle two seconds later. Well, not too solid, Lucy thought, sprawled out horizontally. She sat up carefully and looked down.

Laxus was laughing at her, softly, as she sat on his stomach, half-kneeling, and gingerly rested her hands on his chest. His own hands were on her legs, a thoughtless reaction to help her keep her balance, and Lucy could tell without looking that he'd brought his knees up behind her.

Lucy blushed magnificently, Laxus's face nearly matching hers. She was acutely aware that her dress had ridden up and there was no barrier between his rough hands and the skin of her thighs, even if he was being exceedingly gentle. The woman decided that she couldn't play games anymore. The stress alone would kill her.

"Laxus?" She asked, tentatively.

"I wanted to give you my coat because I didn't want that pervert staring at you," Laxus said, voice rumbling and deep. She doubted anyone could hear him but her. "I barely noticed you were cold."

_Time to come clean_, Lucy steeled herself. She took a deep breath, and dove in, saying, "You gave me a heart attack when I saw you this morning without a shirt." He chuckled.

"Oh, _now_ it makes sense. Evergreen knew, I'm guessing." Distantly the pair heard a soft, feminine laugh, but ignored it.

"And you were jealous, before."

"I hate Koibito," Laxus muttered and turned his head to the side, too close to pouting for comfort. "Idiot couples and over-the-top mushiness." She noticed he never answered her directly, but what he did say was answer enough for her. She'd made him jealous.

"I'm sorry," she said honestly as he pulled himself up, resting on his elbows.

"I'm sorry," he echoed, staring into her face. His jaw was clenched, and his hands were fisted as he said it.

"It's okay," Lucy said, and she meant it. She accepted that his apology wasn't only for knocking her over. It was for everything he did, and that was probably the only one he'd ever say.

They stared at each other, and then Laxus couldn't take it anymore. In one fluid motion, he threw one arm around her, sat up, grabbed her chin, and dragged his mouth to hers.

Lucy moved her mouth desperately, clutching at his back and shoulders to try and get him closer as he tangled his hands in her hair. They sank to the floor and Lucy felt flames – no, lightning. Small lightning bolts were playing over her skin, and she couldn't tell if she was imagining them or Laxus's magic was leaking. Either way, it felt amazing. Every inch of her was pressed to him and he didn't seem to want to let her go anytime soon, which was absolutely fine with her. Until-

"Hey, get a room!"

"Kissing is man!"

"You can't do that in here!"

"Yeah, Macao, tell them! You wouldn't let Bisca and I do that, and we were married when we tried!"

"Laxus, get your dirty hands off Lucy-chan! She's too good for you!"

"Oi, Laxus! Get off my teammate and fight me!" Laxus broke the kiss and the grin on his face, blissfully content, made her gasp. The grin widened and he hugged her closer.

"Go to hell, Natsu," he said simply, not taking his eyes off the woman on top of him. Lucy smacked him lightly. He placed his lips on hers again and again, slow and sweet until he could feel her trembling.

"Oh, that's so...!" Mirajane couldn't even finish. She was on cloud nine, stars in her eyes. When she'd said she liked watching the guild members react, she'd never in her dreams expected something so _adorable_. Evergreen handed her a tissue and she dabbed her eyes with it, ignoring her brother in the background.

The fairy mage herself took a leaf out of Laxus's book, went up to Lucy, and patted her shoulder softly, nodding. Lucy waved her away, smiling into another kiss. Ever grinned and stepped back.

Fried approached next, with Bixlow behind. He stood near Laxus's head and bent down, hands on his knees. "I approve," he said seriously. Laxus nodded.

"Approved, approved!" That was Bixlow's 'babies', and Lucy blushed under all the attention.

Suddenly, the crowd that had gathered around the happy pair parted, to reveal Makarov. Behind him were Erza, Gray, and Happy, back from their mysterious mission. Erza took one look at the two on the floor, drew her sword, and pointed at Laxus's neck. His eyes widened. He might even have gulped a little, but even Lucy didn't hear if he did.

"Step away from her, Laxus! If she is harmed, you can expect to die!" The famed Titania looked ready for a very messy murder. _She thinks he's attacking me and going after the guild again,_ Lucy realized, half-horrified, half-amused.

"No, Erza, stop!" The red-haired mage looked at Lucy, badly confused.

"Lucy, he is attacking you and-" she began.

"He's not attacking me, he's kissing me!" Lucy cut her off, exasperated. A small smile curved Laxus's mouth despite the sword at his throat and he kissed her again, quickly. Erza sheathed her sword.

"Oh, okay then." Lucy stared at her in disbelief. _That's all it takes? _Gray shrugged knowingly and went to pick a fight with Natsu. He glanced back at her before throwing the first punch and winked at her. Lucy smiled back, knowing that he was keeping her teammate occupied. Once the fire dragon-slayer was focused on kicking his friend's ass, he couldn't issue constant challenges to his fellow slayer. Gray wouldn't let him get a word out.

"Old man..." Laxus said, and sat up with her still in his lap. He put her hands on her waist and lifted her, turning her around so she could sit comfortably, his arms wrapped around her and his chin resting on her head.

"...You're not using me for a human shield, are you?" Lucy leaned back against him, trying to lighten the tension. Her only answer was the feeling of his arms tightening around her.

Makarov walked up to them, and studied them for a long moment. No one but Lucy noticed that his grandson's hands were shaking, almost imperceptibly, but Laxus's stare was steady. He looked about ready to spirit her away if his grandfather and guild master didn't approve.

Makarov grinned. "I expect a Fairy Tail wedding and great-grandchildren!" Laxus beamed, causing several mages alarm at the unfamiliar expression, and spun Lucy around to trap her in a fierce kiss.

Mirajane fainted at the very idea of Fairy Tail babies. Natsu and Gray threw a table at Elfman, who'd started bawling that "Weddings are MAN!" Evergreen told him to stop crying, a soaked tissue in her hand. Bixlow called his teammate a hypocrite. Macao and Wakaba, gone unnoticed until now, started fighting about who was going to carry Mira. Erza told them all to calm down, and then all these small battles merged together in a way only Fairy Tail battles could. They became an all-out, old-fashioned brawl.

In the center of it all, a small circle of peace around the chaos, Lucy and Laxus smiled at each other. Their grins turned evil, and Laxus stood up, pulling Lucy with him. The pair's eyes locked for another moment, bright blue and soft brown. Then, in an instant, they went back to back, grasped hands, and threw themselves into the free-for-all with thier friends.

* * *

Because they had to end with a good fight! It's Fairy Tail. Yes, it's much less articulate than the first half. Yes, there are probably tons of grammar problems. Massive mood swings and less description abound. I struggled a lot, first with the train ride (god, it took me an hour to edit that to the point where I didn't want to bash it over its metaphorical head) and then when Lucy came back to to the guild. It doesn't help that I was watching the Firefly reunion for the whole confession scene and onwards.

Review, as always. Even it seems to me like another author wrote it, it was so different, I'm still kind of proud.


End file.
